The Story of Us

A Taste of Latin America on the West Side

Since 2009, Bethia Woolf and Andy Dehus have been charting the comings and goings of Columbus taco trucks (some more like trailers), specifically those on the West Side, where there’s a high concentration of Latinos. The owners of Columbus Food Adventures, who run the popular Taco Trucks tour, have seen trucks of different ethnicities come and go. “They are primarily Mexican, but we’ve seen Honduran, Caribbean, Dominican, some Colombian,” Dehus says. Until the temperatures warm up, some trucks will be closed—and some may not return for another season—but here are a few trucks (and two bonus South American restaurants) to keep an eye out for. columbusfoodadventures.com

Merendero Catracho

Ethnicity: Honduran Location: 3700 Sullivant Ave. “They do really delicious [Honduran comfort] food,” Dehus says. “They do pupusas, which are savory filled corn cakes.” The truck has been around for three years, usually opening Friday through Sunday, May through October.

Los Guachos

Ethnicity: Mexican, specializing in cuisine from Mexico City/Southern Mexico Location: 461 Commerce Sq. Perhaps the best-known food truck in the city, Los Guachos opened in 2006 outside of a nightclub. The truck is their original location—they now have two brick-and-mortar restaurants. Al pastor is their signature dish—pork roasted on a vertical spit. Unlike some of the other trucks that are open only for lunch and dinner, this one is focused on late-night business.

Las Delicias

Ethnicity: Mexican, no regional specialization Location: 385 Georgesville Rd.Open since 2008 and typically open only in the summer, this dilapidated-looking truck serves some of the most popular regional dishes from all over Mexico, Dehus says. “It seems like one of the trucks most frequented exclusively by Mexicans,” he adds. One thing they do that no other truck does is neveria, which is like a coarsely textured Mexican ice cream.

El Pollo Perucho

Ethnicity: Peruvian Location: 727 Georgesville Rd. (nearby restaurant)“The owners are from Peru, and they are targeting Peruvians [with their dishes and flavors],” Woolf says. They specialize in grilled chicken done on a spit over tropical fire.

King Luis Taco

Ethnicity: Mexican, specializing in food from Mexico City Location: 85 N. Wilson Rd. The Mexican owners have operated this truck, now parked outside of a gas station, for five years. “That one focuses on the standards,” Dehus says, including tacos, tortas and burritos.